I am posting this just prior to the four strategies for gut health… You should see why. 🙂
You may recall from an earlier post: STUDY PURPOSE: The most urgent unmet medical need in Parkinson’s disease is a treatment targeting the underlying disease mechanism and thus prevent the disease from progressing rather than only controlling symptoms. The study drug tested in this study is a new chemical compound called UCB0599, which could have such effects by preventing the aggregation of alpha-synuclein in the brain, which is thought to be the main driver of the disease progression.
Since the alpha-synuclein is the focus of our current clinical trial… I found the following to be of great interest.
Notes from the convention as passed on by Laura Kennedy Gould’s Blog : THE MAGIC TRICK-Life With Parkinson’s
Alpha-Synuclein in your gut
I attended a technical lecture about alpha synuclein (A-syn). Since the last congress three years ago, A-syn has been found in the appendix. Apparently, a-syn spreads from the appendix to the gut and by the vagus nerve to the brain. Different shapes of a-syn aggregation have been identified with each representing a different disease – i.e. PD (spaghetti), ALS (ribbon fibril) or MSA (linguine). These aggregates form Lewy bodies. The scientists have discovered that a-syn connects with 178 proteins; however it is not yet known if any of these cause PD or are a result of it. What I gather from this is that the researchers have learnt a lot but are no closer to finding a cure. Additional testing and research is needed to further define the role of a-syn and Lewy bodies in relation to PD.
Standing up to Parkinson's 